“It’s important for me not to copy a photograph but to create my own version.”
Power, technology and humor are several themes you explicitly explore. How would you define your own practice? From the intensely saturated and fluorescent color palettes and the film references you repurpose to the messages behind your work?
I seek to make my childhood and adolescent memories visible by highlighting the elements that left an impression on me. That’s why it’s important for me not to copy a photograph but to create my own version. As for saturated colors, I would say it’s to bring strength to the visual and make it impactful in turn.
Blade, Terminator, G.I. Joe, Xena — who is your favorite
character to draw?
I occasionally switch favorite characters. I did a lot of cyborgs as a tribute to Terminator, so I think it was time to move on. I like Blade, but I’m less of a fan of the films. I believe I’m transitioning from the aesthetics of the 1980s to the 2000s!
Walk us through your process — from your ideation and the
materials you use to how you ultimately create an artwork?
The crucial moment of creation happens in my little notebook. I jot down a list of ideas that I keep for later. When I feel it, I choose the idea I like the most and work on the composition in the notebook. This phase can last between one and twenty sketches with very few details. Once I have one that I like, I go for the large format. I trace my sketch with a yellow marker and start with the background, then the character’s body, and finally, the face. I had a long phase of being stuck where I started with the face and was never satisfied. I kept restarting and never finished a drawing. Now, as I do the face last, it forces me to concentrate to avoid mistakes.
